As the Knicks front office tries to change the locker room culture and figure out how to get out of the mess they are in — well over the luxury tax line with a roster that is 12-22 and one they are largely locked into next season, one Carmelo Anthony may not wish to return to — the team is exploring trading Smith, reports ESPN.

Good luck with that, by the way.

Sources close to the situation said Wednesday that the organization has become increasingly frustrated with Smith’s on- and off-court transgressions and may feel a fresh start would be best for all parties….

Due to the nature of his contract, Smith cannot be traded prior to Jan. 15. The Knicks, furthermore, privately acknowledge that it will be difficult in the current climate to trade Smith, who has two seasons left after this one on a three-year, $18 million contract.

Smith had off-season knee surgery (which he put off until he signed the new contract) and since he came back (after missing training came for the knee then the first five games of the season for testing positive for Marijuana) he is not the same player that helped carry the Knicks to 54 wins and the second round of the playoffs (well, he didn’t help much in the playoffs).

Smith is shooting 34.8 percent overall this season (down from 42.2 percent last season) and 33.9 percent from three (down from 35.2). He’s not getting to the free throw line nearly as often, either. You could add he is taking bad shots and not defending to the list, but those were always true. He’s a uncounsious gunner, one whose shots are not falling right now. To sum it up simply, last season Smith had a PER of 17.6, well above the league average, and this season he is at 9.9, which is the kind of number that gets a rookie sent to the D-League for seasoning.

They can’t, they are either fans of JR Smith or just fans of the Knicks in general. They know the truth about JR, or maybe they don’t, fans can be delusional at times when it comes to one of their own guys.

kinggw - Jan 8, 2014 at 8:44 PM

I’ll bite. I gave the previous post a thumbs down because it doesn’t seem to have much basis besides following a stereotype of what NBA players are perceived to act like.

J.R. Smith does lots of silly things but people like Helin tend to overreact to everything he does. Helin even went so far to classify Smith’s shoelace incidents as off the court transgressions. To me off the court transgressions speak to being arrested for drunk driving, being involved with drugs, or putting your hands on your woman. I may be wrong, but I thought Smith’s biggest off the court problem this season was his so called twitter beef with Brandon Jennings. Because of his reputation, people will always believe the worst about Smith. To some degree that’s his fault, however, it doesnt always mean criticisms attributed to Smith are justified.

Smith’s deal is a bargain, he could’ve got more money on the open market, but he wanted to play with the Knicks and took less. That doesn’t sound like a me-first move. Guys like Villanueva, Redick, Stuckey, and Salmons make more. Marcus Thornton makes almost $3M more than Smith. J.R. is making $5.5M this year, that’s not a lot of money in today’s NBA. He also went out of his way to ensure that his brother would have a NBA roster spot, also not a me-first move. I’m not arguing against the fact that Smith may be a candidate for a spot on the NBA’s All asinine 1st team, I just don’t think the aforementioned criticism of him is accurate.

6 million a year is a bargain for a player of his talent. i truly believe that along with all those issues talked about in this article, i think hes physically not right. maybe thats why he doesnt take it to the rim as often, or that his jumpshots have been off all year. either way, with tim jr looking like a keeper, it really seems as though a change would be good for both jr and the knicks.

@fan
On the thread earlier today about Jr being finned, you said and I quote” I love Jr & so does his teammates”??? You change your mind that quick..?? That sure didn’t take long @ ALL!!! Just Saying!!

Words are cheap cantonjerk. There is only one reason you think my comments about you are filled with hate, that’s because I hate you. You are totally obnoxious and I and a few others on this blog are willing to tell you so. So, back in your rat hole fat man and enjoy your Knicks. I wish them well and would love to meet them in the playoffs.

cantonbound13 - Jan 9, 2014 at 7:44 PM

You’d like to meet them in the playoffs??? I laughed so hard I actually have tears in my eyes!!!! What position are you playing? Hahaha!!!! Wow, you take this waaaayyy to seriously. I actually feel bad for you.
Another funny thing is you admit you hate me, keyboard warrior. Only a mentally weak & insecure person would let someone get in their head & actually cause hate. You are so so sad in many ways Princess Leaha. Have a great day Princess.

drewzducks - Jan 8, 2014 at 7:02 PM

And to sweeten the pot (pun intended) they’ll throw his brother into the deal, no questions asked.

I can almost GUARANTEE that this rumor was started by the Knicks themselves, to encourage a change in behavior for Smith. There is no way Dolan/Woodson are letting their precious step-child get away for the current asking price. This is a franchise who took on a bad player not contract worthy SOLELY because it was Smith’s request. Nice try though, cute.

I’m a HUGE Knicks fan—but this guy is the King of all Knuckleheads. I’d trade him for a 1/2 a bag of chips. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with him. Woody should sit him on the bench and keep him there for awhile. In the meantime, let Murry and Hardaway get more time. They deserve it.

-Bad shooter
-Volume shooter
-Doesn’t pass
-Doesn’t play much defense
-gets fined a lot
-not a great decision maker re:basketball IQ
-knucklehead
-borderline retard
-suspended often
-absolutely no filter
-uses SM a lot w/o filter
-blackmails team to adding no talent brother to roster
-pisses money away like there is an endless supply
-drives an urban tank that can’t be parked in the city
-plays worse than career averages in playoffs
-overpaid

I’d like to see them take a chance on GN as a PG in the mod of Derrick Fisher/Steve Kerr.

If Carmelo is staying on he Knicks, he needs a PG who can stretch defenses/good spot up 3.

Many of the greatest scorers in NBA history have not played with “true” PG’s.

Dennis Johnson was a converted shooting guard.
Derrick Fisher, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Craig Hodges.
A few years ago when Mavs won, Kidd was more of spot up shooter (and great defender and ball mover) than a PG.
Even right now, the Pacers George Hill is not a dominant PG….the Pacers have Paul George.